Archive for ‘Uncategorized’

Sometimes we struggle to come up with a decent handful of great shows to highlight. This was not one of those weeks. From old favorites like The Cave Singers to relatively recent obsessions like the Other Lives to newly formed collaborations like Unlikely Friends, this week brings a variety of great live music options to town.

As always, keep on scrolling for this week’s recommendations and videos. Head over to our calendar for a look further down the line.

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One of the best things about living in the Emerald City is the fact that on any given night there’s usually music to fit any fancy, and today’s post is further proof. From folksy singer-songwriter tunes, to electro-dance mashups, to local grunge-metal, our recommendations run the gamut this week.

Not to get too sentimental, but sometimes it is important to take a step back and admire all the wonderful things about life. Whether it’s family, friends, trips, pets, health or living down the block from your favorite coffee shop, we can all find something in life to be grateful for.

The SLM team has a lot to be thankful for this year. We have been able to attend some amazing concerts and talk to some incredible musicians. Anyone who claims “music isn’t as good as it used to be” just hasn’t been looking in the right places – we’re grateful to be able to find new music we’re excited to share with our friends and readers every week.

One of the experiences we’re thankful for every year continues to be Bumbershoot. Hopefully you took us up on some of our recommended performances for Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3, and even more importantly, hopefully you were glad you did.

Here’s to another great Bumbershoot at Seattle Center this past September and some of the scenes we love looking back on from the festival.

Thanksgiving! A day where Americans get gluttonous with feasts, friends, family and football. Most of us even have the day off work and/or school to soak in the gravy revelry.

You have your elastic waistband to accommodate the food overload, but what can help mentally prepare you for the family overload? We usually turn to our some favorite artists in times like these, so we’ve put together a list of our top 10 “Thanksgiving” tracks. The below list focuses on the themes of loved ones, dinner and, at the risk of sounding trite, being thankful (without the blatant cheesiness of Adam Sandler’s “Thanksgiving Song”).

We hope at least a couple of these songs will find their way onto your own playlist for Turkey Day.

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Much like everyone’s favorite grade-school mystery woman Carmen Sandiego, SEAliveMUSIC has been MIA. Also much like Ms. Sandiego, we’ve done a little globetrotting.

We’ve been getting a lot of questions from our friends and readers, so we’d like to address these inquiries. You’ve (possibly) enjoyed many an interview with musicians here on the ol’ blog, so now here’s a short Q&A from the team on the future of SLM.

Readers: Um, where are my music recos? Are you guys majorly slacking or what?

SLM:We know, we know. We’ve been preoccupied. The SLM team has actually moved. Across the world. To another continent. Remember a little band called The Beatles? We’re living in their homeland now. So as you might imagine (and have likely seen), the blog has suffered (more than) a little in the transition.

Readers: But… but… why?

SLM:SLM co-founder and master new-music-finder Matt is going to business school in England. It was a great opportunity and a nice excuse to do some immersive research into the British music scene.

Readers: Come back to Seattle, please.

SLM:We will! We love Seattle and it’s our home. We’ll be in England for at least a year for school, and maybe a year or two for work after that, but we fully intend on coming back home at some point.

Readers: So is the blog on hiatus while you gallivant around Europe? That’s selfish. We need music!

SLM:Never fear, dear readers. While we did take a short hiatus to pack up our lives, move to a new country, find an apartment… sorry, flat… and figure out how to unlock our cell phones, SLM will live on! Even though we’re across the globe doesn’t mean we don’t still care very much about the local scene in Seattle. So we’ll be starting up our weekly posts, calendar updates and artist interviews within the next week or so.

Readers: OK, that’s not so bad. In that case, can we come visit you?

SLM:Of course! We love visitors, and we’d love to show you around our little English town. In fact, we’re near some fantastic music venues in the Bristol area, and near some great places in England that mean a lot to music. Ever heard of a little band called Portishead? The town of Portishead is just a short train ride away. Liverpool and the Beatles, Stornoway and the band Stornoway… it’s great. Lots of music history and tourist activities. We’re fully planning on blocking traffic on Abbey Way soon. Come on out and we’ll rock our (temporarily) British hearts out.

In the meantime though, visit us virtually here on the blog for all the latest recommendations on great live music in the Emerald City. We’re with you in spirit, Seattle friends.

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We’re in the midst of the dog days of summer, and not only does August bring lovely weather to the Emerald City, it also heralds some great music. Take your pick from some great club shows happening this second half of the week, or in true PacNW fashion, pick one of the glorious outdoor musical sessions.

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Alas, the Emerald City’s finest music festival has come to a close, but we can still relive the long weekend through photos. Below we’ve posted a few from the final day of Bumbershoot, and be sure to check out our photos from Day 1 and Day 2.

We recently had the pleasure of checking out the new Neptune Theatre in the heart of the U-District for their Grand Opening this past weekend. From the alarmingly steep ramps in the balcony to the glowing eyes of multiple busts of Neptune himself staring you down with an eerie teal glow, it is nice to see the former movie house thriving with it’s new found use as a music and comedy venue.

With an impressive lineup upon opening, Neptune has hosted great acts night after night since it’s doors reopened to the public. Tonight’s act is no exception. San Francisco-based indie pop band Girls, boasting a brand new record, will take the stage with all their vintage surf pop glory. The duo has been charming listeners and critics alike with their debut album in 2009, and their sophomore release is just as enjoyable.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of checking out the new Neptune, this show would be a great way to break the ice.

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Since the release of the band’s first EP in 2004, Tapes n’ Tapes have established a reputation for helping define indie rock in the new millennium. Their repertoire varies from upbeat, pop tunes to more emotive, hard-driving rock pieces. They released a new album, The Outside, earlier this year, and the album incorporates some new sounds and has more of a pop sensibility than previous releases.